KAILEE
CARUSO
About Kailee
Kailee first arrived in Long Beach in 2001 to pursue an education at Cal State Long Beach. Like so many others, she was immediately drawn in by Long Beach’s small-town beach feel and expansive cultural diversity. Having grown up in a family with a strong sense of community service (Mom, a Spanish and English teacher, and Dad, a pastor at a local church), Kailee deeply appreciated the sense of community that Long Beach had to offer. Kailee graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and subsequently earned a Master’s degree in Policy and Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach in 2019.
Kailee has been employed in the social services field in Orange County and LA County for ten years advocating for communities, most recently as a Program Administrator working directly with adults, youth, and young families experiencing homelessness. Kailee is experienced in implementing short-term, sustainable, community-based programs and resources to alleviate the crisis of housing insecurity and promote public safety, public health, quality of life, and economic growth for all.
As a mother to three boys, a renter, a community advocate, and a volunteer, Kailee has a deep understanding of how housing insecurity, public safety, public health, and economic constraints impact our quality of life and businesses.
There is no incumbent in this race. District 3 voters have a real choice. Kailee is running to bring fresh ideas, forward-thinking leadership, and a track record for working collaboratively to get things done. Kailee embraces Democratic values and appreciates strong support from current local elected officials, labor unions, community-based organizations, business owners, and voters. Kailee looks forward to engaging all stakeholders in crafting the policies that will guide progress in District 3 and throughout the city of Long Beach.
As the only Democrat-endorsed candidate in this race, Kailee has the courage and leadership to be the champion for the people of Long Beach. She values transparency, accountability, and utilizing the city budget in a financially responsible manner.
Kailee has overcome challenges and courageously fought for herself and her family. She will do the same for each of you in City Hall. You will have a voice and a seat at the table. Kailee believes there are changes within our reach that can benefit our District 3 community and Long Beach for decades to come. She envisions a future where Long Beach’s precedent-setting and sustainable solutions will stand as a model for other cities.
Long Beach is undergoing a moment of political rejuvenation that will determine the direction of the city for the next decade. We have new districts; we will have new local, state, and federal leadership; and we have new issues that we must address. Kailee is equipped to work with our tenured officials to build a consensus on how to address current concerns and move Long Beach forward. She is the candidate who will bring a fresh perspective to generational issues and the one who has a history of providing practical solutions to our toughest challenges.
PRIORITIES
HOMELESSNESS
Kailee's decade of experience providing hands-on assistance to folks experiencing housing insecurity, mental health challenges, and substance dependency makes her the best candidate to address Long Beach's growing homelessness challenge. Kailee is committed to a data-driven approach that provides resources to generate immediate safety while working with the non-profit sector to develop long-term policy to prevent further homelessness. We need someone in City Hall with Kailee's experience to ensure homelessness is a priority in City Hall. Kailee's approach will fill the gaps short term by investing in:
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Housing first through Project Home/Room Key
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Ensuring all 9 districts have REACH teams, with at least one in District 3, to build relationships and ensure day-to-day safety
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To see improvements in homelessness, our unhoused population needs access to nearby resources or mobile units that provide case management and a streamlined process to receive adequate temporary assistance while being assessed for temporary housing options
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Provide residents and business owners with up-to-date direct resources for who to call when a emergency or non-emergency situations occur with our homeless
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Prioritize better data collection practices to determine what services and resources are working within the city. Transparency with residents regarding where homelessness resources are being spent.
PUBLIC SAFETY
There are people of the belief that "public safety" is only achieved by a strong presence of law enforcement. Kailee is of the belief that we can build towards more of an equitable and care-first system within our communities. This will mean focusing on preventing harm instead of merely relying on reactionary responses.
Kailee believes in a multifaceted care system that also includes housing stability, access to affordable health care, education and programs for youth, access to jobs (that pay a livable wage), traffic safety, and climate resiliency. All of these facets are essential for the achievement of public safety and building healthy neighborhoods. This can be accomplished with investments in these areas in District 3 and throughout Long Beach. A system of care will add support to our police and firefighters; enabling them to respond more quickly to emergency calls.
Our local public service departments are experiencing a gap in recruitment and retention for police, firefighters, paramedics, healthcare workers, and emergency dispatchers. These essential workers are experiencing increased overtime, burnout, and exhaustion. We need a leader who can name and ensure immediate support for these public servants. Kailee will expand the public safety framework to include more social workers to deal with non-violent complaints and implement non-emergency crisis intervention teams that the city is currently hiring in mental health-related incidents. We must address today's biggest challenges. It will take time to recruit and build retention, so we must work to preserve residents' and businesses' quality of life right now, while we work towards the future we want to live in.
LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY
Small businesses are the backbone of the 3rd District, and many are still struggling through the effects of the pandemic. Kailee will bring small business owners to the table to name the barriers impacting them—high rent, public safety concerns, the permitting process, and/or other red tape—and ensure that city policy and city resources are directed toward the solutions that businesses actually need. Kailee will expand incentives and funding for business improvement districts, worker support, and grants. Kailee is interested in working with local entrepreneurs to not only set up shop but set down roots here in District 3 and throughout Long Beach, where they are personally invested in our collective economic success. Kailee will work with the city and business owners to ensure that COVID-19 relief funds are actually getting to the businesses that need them and that no corporations are taking advantage of the system. Kailee will continue to build relationships with property owners to make business ownership more achievable and sustainable in all District 3 business improvement districts.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & CARE
Kailee is passionate about ending the stigma. Destigmatizing mental health support and ensuring access will benefit everyone, from the children in our community to public servants. Implementing preventative care programs will contribute to the full circle of care that will keep our communities safe and hospitable for generations to come. Bringing a mental health department to Long Beach would bring necessary resources, jobs, and preventative care. This would contribute to ensuring our community is safe.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Much of District 3 is in coastal zone areas, and protecting the environment is a top priority for residents. For District 3, we won't be able to rely on tidelands funds to counteract the environmental challenges impacting homes and developments along our coastline. We will have to look to the city’s general funds, and that is why Kailee's endorsements and relationships with local elected officials on a city and state level are so important. These relationships will help ensure that we have the resources needed to protect District 3.
Kailee will evaluate capital projects and ensure our vulnerable coastline is a priority. We have to prioritize the City's existing Stormwater Management Plan and update the floodplain ordinance. We can provide our residents and business owners with information, resources, and incentives on how to have more environmentally friendly practices at work and at home. This includes saving water, energy, composting, adding solar panels, and/or desert-friendly landscaping.
Other projects Kailee will work on to make District 3 more environmentally safe:
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Preserve and rehabilitate the wetlands to promote greater biodiversity.
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Ensure the Naples Seawall phases continue
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Protect the Peninsula from sand erosion and sea level rise.
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Explore nature-based solutions to ensure clean water and marine life are preserved in Alamitos Bay and Colorado Lagoon.
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Support the Open Channel Project
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Reduce greenhouse gases and our carbon footprint.
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Institute greater beach beautification services by acquiring new technology to keep our beaches clean
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Work with the City on infrastructure that will protect our community from sea level rise.
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Support green building requirements in any new commercial development or residential building larger than 4 units.
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Look at other green concepts that help to keep cities cooler in temperature.
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Minimize traffic pollution in neighborhoods near highly driven streets (green mass transit, plants, and tech-based tools to clean air).
HOUSING
The primary problems producing concern for Long Beach residents are housing availability and affordability. While housing has not increased, population has. In order to keep Long Beach residents and employees in the city, Kailee is dedicated to cooperating with labor and the private sector to properly enhance our housing stock while offering affordable housing options.
LONG BEACH FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION
THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES!
Come Walk the Walk with us.
Join us in canvassing District 3 to reach voters!
VOLUNTEER
Thank you for your interest in joining our campaign!
We are looking for support in several ways, including canvassing the district, hosting a meet and greet for your friends and neighbors, fundraising, and placing a yard sign at your home. Please submit your contact information, and we will follow up soon.